Here's what Democrats need to ponder: Can they prosper in the absence of George W. Bush?

His presidency was a tonic for Democrats and led to a blossoming of political creativity on the center-left not seen since the 1930s. No tactic, no program, no leader ever did more to catalyze the party than the rage Bush inspired.

The whole effort was summarized nicely by the party's slogan in 2006, "A New Direction for America." There was no need to specify north or south, east or west, up or down. Compared with Bush, any alternative destination seemed appealing. And by becoming the apotheosis of the fresh and the new, Barack Obama emerged as the most attractive guide to this unknown promised land.

(snip)

But politically, the Democrats are in trouble. They are at one another's throats over health-care legislation that should be seen as one of the party's greatest triumphs. They are being held hostage by political narcissists and narrow slivers of their coalition.

When Democrats make deals, they are accused of selling out. When they fail to make deals, they are accused of not reaching out. Moderates complain that their party has gone too far left. Progressives chortle bitterly at this, asking: What's left-wing about policies that shore up banks and protect drug companies?

Rural-state centrists insist on more fiscal discipline -- as long as it doesn't affect farmers and small-town hospitals. Progressives ask why debt should be the priority when so much more needs to be done to relieve unemployment.

This is a recipe for political catastrophe. An increasingly bitter and negative Republican Party may not be able to win the midterm elections, but Democrats definitely can lose them.

“An increasingly bitter and negative Republican Party may not be able to win the midterm elections”

I don’t know about bitter but negative in the context of opposing this socialist nightmare is a plus. It’s for certain they can’t propose an agenda of their own since they don’t have the power to do so. Hence the negative charge.

As to the bitterness in the R party the writer professes to see, he might want to have a look at the behavior of the Democrats in regards to their relations with Republicans. Locking them out of hearings and implying they are descendants of pro slavery, anti women’s vote, etc. policies might tend to distract some members of the most collegiate body of lawmakers on the planet.

3
posted on 12/17/2009 7:29:28 AM PST
by saganite
(What happens to taglines? Is there a termination date?)

So true, now America has been re-introduced to the Dem party and they now remember why they hated them in the first place. Big change, this time around, they proudly claim their socialism, so there has been some movement towards honesty in elections.

Animosity from the voters towards Bush was created and pushed hourly, 24/7, for eight years by the MSM and fostered by RATs (same ole same ole). Add to that the refusal by Bush and the leadership of the GOP to call the MSM and RATs out on their lies and propaganda.

The hourly propaganda of the Leftist MSM coupled with obvious massive voter fraud, left unchecked by the Republican Party, led to the 2008 ushering in of a Socialist thug dictator to the White House whose background was cleansed and not exposed. The MSM and RAT’s scheme brought us this Socialist/Elitist tyranny and treason of this Congress.

Time to clean the sewer that is this Congress in 2010 nd 2012. Based on everyone I talk to and everything I hear, the hatred for the current US Congress is massive. Pelosi is sniffing something if she doesn’t think she’s in the toilet with her cohorts.

For his part, Obama has not appreciated until recently how closely he has been tied to Wall Street and the banks. He has been too reluctant to underscore how much of Washington's dysfunction has been pushed to new levels by the Republican Party's decision to grind the Senate to a halt

The Dem caucus has 60 votes, EJ - it is truly ironic that, in a column that castigates Dems for continuing to blame Bush, you blame the Senate gridlock on the GOP when the Dems have enough votes to technically do anything they want.

Yes, good point. The zer0 defenders don’t have much to back up their ideas with. They always start with “Bush wrecked everything.” And of course this took place over the entire 8 years. His astronomical approval ratings of 2001-03 mean nothing. If he really had been that bad he would have been defeated in 2004. Though of course they think he stole that election too. Ha ha.

Yes, they hated the Dems for real things -- unlike Bush's unpopularity, which in large part was ginned up the constant drumbeat of the media (e.g., the president was golfing today, though unemployment stands at 5.4%, etc., etc., etc.). Rush has commented that the media convinced large swathes of the country that things were bad when they were really good and he wondered if they could succeed at convincing them that things are good when they're really bad -- looks like they can't!

Sicko ??? That's Moore's single payer movie. is there a hidden message here?

Realistic ??? We are totally screwed. Our best bet is gridlock, and gold.

Optimistic ??? How about all those Republicans told by talk radio that Republican Party would win 2006? ...and then told the same thing again in 2008 and believed it again? Now talk about optimism.

What concerns me is the ‘pro-republican’ attitude here vs a anti-Washington attitude we need. Both parties are full of crap. At this point we need opposition and gridlock till Republicans and even conservatives figure out what they are 'for' and really 'against'(beyond just democrats) .

31
posted on 12/17/2009 9:08:52 AM PST
by sickoflibs
( "It's not the taxes, the redistribution is the government spending you demand stupid")

This is exactly what I keep saying. Every 20 or so years America loses it’s mind and elects a liberal government, last time was the first 2 Clinton years and before that Carter. The Dems each and every time remind America why they can’t be trusted in leadership positions.

Exactly! The GOP doesn't have the votes to stop Obamacare from passing. The Democrats are torn by infighting over whether the bill goes far enough to their real goal - a single-payer system. They couldn't even get the votes in the Senate for Bernie Sanders' SP amendment. In short, they have these huge congressional majorities but they can't govern and they can't deliver.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus

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